TOKYO, Japan — Colorado athlete and US Army soldier Paul Chelimo captured a bronze medal in the men’s 5,000-meter race in Tokyo.
He dove across the finish line at 12:59.05, barely edging out Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli of Kenya. It was the fastest finish ever for a bronze medal winner in the event.
Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda won the gold medal in the race a week after earning silver in the 10,000 at the Tokyo Games.
Chepetgei was in the leading pack for most of the race and won in 12 minutes, 58.15 seconds.
Mohammed Ahmed of Canada surged into second place to get the silver medal in 12:58.61.
Chelimo was a silver medalist in the 5,000 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Chelimo was born in Iten, Kenya and attained U.S. citizenship when he joined the U.S. Army and World Class Athlete Program in 2014.
He said he eventually wants to become a water treatment specialist and establish a water treatment plant in his native country.
Chelimo currently lives in Colorado Springs.
Following a year-long postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening ceremony took place Friday, July 23. The competition began Wed., July 21 and concludes Sunday, Aug. 8.
The 2020 Olympic Games also welcomes some new events. Baseball and softball return for the first time since 2008, while four new sports make their debut, including surfing, karate, skateboarding and sport climbing.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Tokyo Olympics